Christmas Past
No matter what chaos or circumstances life brought me, Christmas has always managed to hold a special place in my heart. As a child, I’d have the anticipation of opening gifts and trying to figure out what toy or doll I’d be unwrapping on Christmas morning. I could never fall asleep early on Christmas Eve! Whether I got what I wanted, or was slightly disappointed, I never stopped loving that day or the season. I may not remember every gift that I received, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve taken inventory of what I do remember most…the togetherness.
One specific memory I have, is of the car being loaded with presents and being driven to Grandma’s on Christmas Eve. She lived an hour away, and even though it snowed a few times, we still went! Back then, going to Grandma’s was non negotiable, lol! While we were there, friends and other relatives would stop by to see my family members they hadn’t seen in a while. They’d all ask me to basically show and tell what I had gotten. Sometimes they even had a gift for me, or money! It was such a special feeling.
After childhood, and during my preteen and teen years, Christmas slowly started to feel a little strange for me and honestly a little sad. Somewhere along the way, we’d stopped going to Grandma’s and everyone just started doing their own thing. Relationships, marriages, moves, and age were all some of the factors that changed our family dynamic. We were no longer waking up in the same house and ripping open presents on Christmas morning. I still loved the season and the nostalgic feelings I had, but it wasn’t the same for a while. It didn’t stop me from hoping and wanting each year to get better though.
Christmas Present
I’m happy to say, that life did get better and the Christmas seasons are back full circle to being joyful again! God is a restorer and has allowed us the opportunity to establish new and different ways of celebrating with our children. Seeing them happy and carefree and having that expectancy that only kids can have, is so great to witness! I think I’m just as excited to see them open presents, as they are to actually open them! They grow up so quickly, and I want them to enjoy their childhood and all that comes with it. I love creating memories, and starting traditions with them.
Come to the manger unit study
Before we officially started homeschooling, crafting, and reading Christmas books was something we always did around the holidays. Once it was official, I wanted something structured to guide me and keep me on task. Something to use, where we could incorporate more of what we already did and have it pour over into our lessons. I stumbled across a unit study called Come to the Manger: A Christ Centered Christmas Guide, to help me do just that! Unit studies are lessons that are hands on and incorporate multiple subjects, but have a theme. They are most used for multiple children simultaneously, which helps save time!
Should you use a unit study?
There are a few companies that have created Christmas themed unit studies. Depending on your family’s wants or needs, will determine which works best for you. Even if your kids are in public school, you can still use these as a tool to have family devotions and make memories. You can pick and choose which activities you complete or skip. If you can say yes, to any of the reasons listed below, then using a unit study like this through the month of December, will work well for you!
- The Bible is part of your core studies
- You want more fun and less stress in homeschooling
- You need a break from the normal way of teaching
- You want to keep Jesus at the forefront of the season
- Your kids are in public school and you want to be intentional with them
Though this book is suited for children between the ages of three and seven, it can be modified to include older or younger kids. When looking for a unit study, you’ll want to make sure it’s age appropriate and suitable for your target ages. One of the reasons I chose this one, is because I felt it was one of the more affordable ones available. The printed book retails for $28, and includes a digital download that you’ll get emailed to you right away, so you can begin as soon as you need to. The digital download by itself, retails for $18. The customer service was great when I ordered, and I got all my materials in a very timely manner.
The Layout
The first few pages of this program contain a comprehensive list of all the craft and baking supplies you’ll need, should you choose to do them. Looser schedules are always a plus for us, especially around this time of year. So, four day lesson plans worked really well for my family. There is a breakdown of weekly, and daily activities. Included is a fun ongoing activity where you’ll add pictures to a manger scene, and by the end of the study (Christmas day) it’s complete! We cut and pasted our manger scene last year, and although I have the digital download I could print and use, I may use a real set up instead with toys or plushies (as the cool kids call them), and just add those to our manger scene when the book calls for a character!
Crafts/Baking
Some of the fun crafts we made from the lessons were: stable ornaments, wood slice ornaments that we painted, and shepherd and angel shadow puppets to name a few. These can be as basic or as elaborate as you want, depending on how much time you want to spend on each activity. I didn’t try all of the crafts, so this year, I’ll be sure to do some that we didn’t get to. My kids would really enjoy making snow dough! We’ll also have to be sure to do more baking or Christmas snack making! I guess if you’re really pressed for time with baking, you could always just buy or heat up some baked goods, if that’s more convenient!
Read, read, read!
I will admit…one of the best components about this for me, was the books!! In the first few pages, there’s a list of books to obtain to read during the lessons. Last year, I went to our local library and checked out most of them. Some were unavailable but I improvised. But…let me tell you, in improvising, I found some of the best Christmas books I’ve ever read, and I plan to make reading them a tradition for us. Even though they weren’t mentioned in the actual unit study, they usually went along pretty well with the lesson or captured my attention in a whole new way. The books I personally picked and enjoyed during our story times were:
The Little Shepherd’s Christmas by Carol Heyer
Mary’s Treasure Box by Carolyn Walz Kramlich
The Shepherd Girl of Bethlehem: A Nativity Story by Carey Morning
God Bless Your Way: A Christmas Journey by Emily Freeman
Short on time?
Even if you don’t have time to do a full unit study because there’s too much on your plate, I want to encourage you to at least check out some Christmas books that point to the true meaning of Christmas. The Brighter Day Press website has suggested book lists available. I guarantee they will bless you! There are some excellent writers out there and some great stories to read, from various perspectives. I would have never opened them had it not been for this unit study! I found it when I was looking for some help with activities to make memories, keep Christ as our focus, and just enjoy each other. I did that and much more.
Completing this was validating since a couple of tasks suggested were ones we already do as a family, like decorating the tree together, and riding around looking at Christmas lights! I love how intentional the suggestions in this program are! The winter season brings such bitter cold weather, and the sun setting a lot earlier, makes the nights so much longer. I think it’s a good reminder for us to just slow down and count our blessings with those we love.
Jesus, Our hope
Along with all the family fun activities, this lesson plan also encourages us to get out in the community and be the hands and feet of our Lord as we think about others that may need a reminder of the good news of Jesus. If we aren’t giving someone hope, or helping someone in need, then what’s the point of all of this? I’m not oblivious to the fact that many are hurting and suffering loss or experiencing sadness. My heart goes out to them and to you if you’re suffering. I’ve been through the darkness of the holidays many times. At my darkest, I couldn’t afford to lose my hope. My desire and prayer is that you get back to something that brings you joy! Let the good news of Jesus restore your hope! If He did it for me, He can do it for you!
Do you have a favorite Christmas memory or tradition and is it one that you grew up with or started yourself? Do you like to bake or make something every year, and only at Christmas? What’s special to you during this time? Are you in need of prayer? Let me know in the comments!